Summary

The 12 Japanese OEMs produced a record high of 25.8 million vehicles worldwide in 2012,, up 18.3% y/y. Their Japanese production recovered from the influence of the Great East Japan Earthquake to 9.94 million units, up substantially by 18.4%, but it slightly missed the 10 million-mark.

Overseas production grew by 18.3% to a record high of 15.8 million units. Production is currently expanding in Asia, North America, and Central and South America. In particular, the ratio of production in Asia has been increasing and accounts for 33.0% in the global production in 2012, which is close to 38.6% in Japan.

Because of recovery in production in Japan, exports from Japan increased mainly to North America by 7.5% to 4.8 million units.

In January-March 2013, the eight Japanese passenger car manufacturers produced 6.3 million units worldwide, down 4.9% y/y. Their Japanese production fell by 14.4% to 2.3 million units while overseas production grew by 1.4% to 4.1 million units. The three major OEMs, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, each reduced production volume, whereas Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Subaru boosted production volume.